Seven Egyptian Christians were killed execution style in the Libyan city of Benghazi. It is the second such incident this year.

All were reportedly young Coptic Christian men between the ages of 17 and 25. Egyptian residents of Benghazi identified their bodies.

According to the Libya Herald, witnesses said Islamists dragged the men from their apartment, bound their hands, and shot each of them in the head. Their bodies were later discovered on a local beach.

No group claimed responsibility for the killings.

Christians have faced increased persecution in Libya since the ouster and killing of dictator Moammar Gaddafi more than two years ago. Thousands of Egyptian Christians have found work in Libya, mostly as laborers.

In January, a British man and a woman from New Zealand were shot to death on a beach west of Tripoli.